Evening worship with contemporary prose, poetry, scripture reading and amazing jazz music in our church lounge this time featuring The David Lee Jones Trio.
Come and celebrate God as we do a new thing in the spirit of Psalm 150.
Dr. Ardie Walser as singer, pianist and songwriter, was a member of the award winning vocal trio BLACK TIE, two-time winners of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Club (MAC) Award for Outstanding Vocal Group and the winners of the Bistro Awards for Outstanding Vocal Group and Best New York Debut. With Black Tie he has shared the stage with the likes of Melba Moore at Carnegie Hall; Sylvia Sims and Ann Hampton Callaway at Town Hall; and Noel Pointer at Avery Fisher Hall; and performed on radio and appeared on a number of TV shows such as The Joan Rivers Show. He has recorded with a wide range of artists from cabaret to pop including – Jazz Composer, Anke Helfrich; Cabaret Artist, Natalie Douglas; Salsa Singer, Michael Stuart; and Salsa Star, Marc Anthony.
David Lee Jones - Saxophone
David Lee Jones was born and raised in Houston, TX, a city that is deeply rooted in Blues, R&B and Soul music. At the age of 8 he began to study the violin and piano until he reached age 10 where he decided the saxophone was to be the instrument for him. David’s early influences were Hank Crawford, Grover Washington, Gary Bartz, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Ronnie Laws, David “Fathead” Newman, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Arnett Cobb, Eddie Harris and Julian “Cannonball” Adderly. . From 1976 to 1978 David attended Texas Southern University in Houston where he studied Music Education with a minor in Jazz Studies.
In January of 1980 David decided to move to Boston, MA to study at Berklee College of Music. There he sharpened his skills as a woodwindist studying the saxophone, flute, clarinet and composition obtaining a B. A. in Jazz Composition and Arranging. At Berklee he received many awards and honors including The Quincy Jones Award for Outstanding Composition.
In January of 1990 David moved to New York City to further pursue his career as a professional musician. Subsequently he landed his first gig with organist Jack McDuff. After a short tenure with McDuff David went on to work as a sub for saxophonist / flautist Jerome Richardson on the Broadway musical “Black and Blue”. In 1992 David began working with the late Phyllis Hyman and The Mingus Big band, He played auxiliary keyboards as well as saxophone in her band for a subsequent three years.
In between his tenure with Phyllis he left her band for one and a half years to work with the Grammy award winning jazz / rap group “Digable Planets”. Subsequently he toured with them and appeared on numerous television shows such as MTV, Arsenio Hall, Jay Leno and David Letterman and the 1994 Grammys. That year the group won a Grammy for “Best Rap Group or Duo”. On the second CD release of Digable Planets entitled “Blow Out Comb”, David played as well as wrote all of the featured interludes for that particular project.
Since his residence in New York, David has worked and recorded with many artist including Sade (toured as opening act), Digable Planets, Phyllis Hyman, Melba Moore, Jennifer Holliday, Rod Stewart, Anita Baker, Regina Carter, The Mingus Big Band, Sun Ra Arkestra, Bassist Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck),The Ellington Orchestra, The Cab Calloway Orchestra, George Benson, Clark Terry, Jimmy McGriff, The Dells, The Chi-Lites, Stanley Turrentine, Shirley Scott, Jean Carne, “Brother” Jack McDuff, Roy Ayers and Aaron Neville.
David has also worked with actors John Lithgow and Matthew Donehey (In the film “Everyday”), worked of Broadway shows such as “Shuffle Along” (Sissle Noble and Eubie Blake) and “Black and Blue”.
David Lee Jones currently works with SunRa Arkestra, Mingus Big Band and leads his “Harlem Groove Band” (which is a Jazz Organ Trio) in Harlem at the American Legion Post 398 every Sunday (for 25 years now) which opens it doors for all musicican to come to Harlem to experience the LAST of the great Organ Jazz Rooms that Harlem was known for from the 1960’s up until the present.
He has Performed at many of the major festivals around the world including: The Montreaux Jazz Festival, Switzerland / Roskilde Festival, Denmark / Glastonbury, Festival England / Pori Jazz Festival, Helsinki, Finland / Escape Theatre, Amsterdam / North Sea Jazz Festival, Den Haag, The Netherlands / Palais Du Sport, Paris, France / Nice Jazz Festival, Nice, France / Vienna Jazz Festival, Vienna Austria and the Pescara Jazz Festival, Pescara, Italy and the 1994 Grammy Awards at Radio City Music Hall, New York City, to name a few.
Matthew Smythe - Organist
Matthew Smythe is a prominent jazz organist active in the New York and New Jersey music scenes, recognized for his soulful playing and harmonic depth. He frequently performs with a variety of ensembles, blending jazz, gospel, and classical influences.
His notable Collaborations and Groups are as follows:
- Bradford Hayes Organ Trio: Smythe is a regular member of this trio, performing alongside saxophonist Bradford Hayes and drummer Gordon Lane.
- K. Blue & "Organ Eyes": He plays organ in T.K. Blue's ensemble, including performances at venues like The Django and the New Rochelle Jazz Festival.
- Jesus and Jazz: He is a featured musician in the Jesus and Jazz series, which combines worship with live jazz performances at churches like Mt. Zion AME in Millburn, NJ.
- The Soul Alliance: Smythe has collaborated with Gil Defay in this "organ-jazz and soul" group.
He attended Long Island University as a music major and has been performing professionally in the New York area since 2003. His work has taken him to iconic jazz spots such as Showman’s Jazz Club and The Roxy Hotel. He is credited as an organist in the 2022 film After the Wait.
Jarrett D. Walser - Drummer, Composer, Educator
Jarrett Walser is a musician who brings a vibrant sensitivity, rich nuance, and expressive style to the drums. His ease and versatility in several genres (jazz, rock, R&B, funk) make him a highly sought-after drummer. As a band member of Billy Carrión’s, Higher Standards; Lance Bryant & SHOUT!; Sacred Machines; U.L.T.R.A. S.; and Vethaken; you can hear the infusion of those styles on display.
At the age of three, what started as a curious, playful orchestration on pots and pans grew into a passion. Jarrett’s first love has always been jazz. This allure continued at age 11 when he began studying at NJPAC TD Jazz for Teens program in 2001. After his studies at NJPAC, he continued to pursue his passion for music at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts, where he received his B.A. (2012) and M.M. (2017) in Jazz Performance. Jarrett has made a career playing with various artists over a wide variety of genres, from jazz to rock to theater. Some notable artists Jarrett has performed with include bassist Rufus Reid and Kenny Davis, trumpeters Valery Ponomarev and Eddie Allen, vocalist Carla Cook, and Chico Freeman, to name a few.
When not performing, Jarrett is an educator at The Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, NJPAC, and His & Her Music, where he shares his love of music and inspires the next generation of young artists.